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    <h1>The Gnomus Program:</h1>

    <h3>Gnomus Card Decks</h3>

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    <p>
        Background:  The Gnomus Program was begun in 1993 in partnership with the University of California at
        Berkeley’s Math, Engineering, and Science Achievement (MESA) outreach program.
    </p>
    <p>
        Dr. Nome Baker, the Gnomus Program director, was asked to create a special science-communication curriculum
        for elementary and middle school science students. It was to be engaging, helpful in preparing students to
        learn major scientific concepts and involve:
    </p>
    <ul>
        <li>Hands-on learning</li>
        <li>Team-working skills</li>
        <li>Cooperative problem-solving</li>
        <li>Relevance to students’ lives</li>
        <li>Model building</li>
        <li>Experimental design, and especially</li>
        <li>Development of communication skills.</li>
    </ul>
    <p>
        Dr. Baker designed Gnomus Card Decks for this purpose.  Teachers readily learned to use these materials.
        Noting the teachers’ enthusiasm and the extent to which students were engaged by this format, MESA’s director
        encouraged further development and wider dissemination of Gnomus-based curricula.
    </p>
    <p>
        Dr. Baker established a non-profit organization, Gnomus, Inc., in 1995 to develop and disseminate Gnomus Card
        Decks and other innovative, hands-on materials for teaching science, math, engineering, science communication,
        problem-solving, and team-working skills.  Gnomus units have been extensively field-tested primarily in middle
        schools in the greater San Francisco Bay Area, and used by teachers for the last thirteen years.
    </p>
    <p>
        The Gnomus Program was administered for
        several years by another educational, non-profit organization, MILI (Multisensory
        Interactive Learning Institute). As of 2012 the Gnomus Project has become an
        integral part of the after-school and summer educational programs of the Greater
        Santa Rosa Boys and Girls Club in California. This transfer should enable the
        Gnomus Curriculum to be converted into free, web-based, game-like activities
        and labs for all students with access to computers or iPad-like devices. The
        lessons will be expanded to include students in the early grades as well as those
        in middle schools. The web-based curriculum will include the development of
        essential communication skills (reading, writing, debating, presenting ideas,
        hypothesizing and problem solving). These lessons will be integrated with
        Gnomus’ STEM curriculum, especially math and science. This new partnership
        will allow the lessons to be widely and quickly disseminated to reach students,
        teachers and parents throughout the nation. See Current Projects.
    </p>
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    <h3><strong>The Gnomus Project at the GSRB&GC is dedicated to:</strong></h3>
    <ul>
        <li>
            Improving education at all levels through the development and distribution of innovative educational
                materials;
        </li>
        <li>Training teachers in their use;</li>
        <li>Meeting the special educational needs of a culturally diverse society; and</li>
        <li>Improving access and equality in education for economically disadvantaged youth.</li>
    </ul>
    <h2>Links to Samples: </h2>
    <h2><a href="/PDF/Periodic Squares Game linked v2_6159.pdf">Example: Periodic
        Table</a>
    </h2>
    <h2><a href="/PDF/Balancing equations 2.pdf">Example: Chemical Equations</a></h2>
    <h2><a href="/PDF/Catalase Rxn Rev2.pdf">Example: Chemical Reactions</a></h2>
    <h2><a href="/PDF/biome.pdf">Example: Ecology: Biomes</a></h2>
    <h2>We are partners with <a href="http://www.miligames.org/">www.miligames.org</a><br>
        Check out their math learning mission and materials - <a href="http://www.miligames.org/">click here</a>
    </h2>
    <p>
        * Gnomus, Inc. has been renamed (Resolutionworks NPO, Inc.) to reflect its current priority, conflict
        resolution in schools; Dr. Baker is no longer officially affiliated with that organization.
    </p>
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